Dry Lining/ Bathroom & Kitchen refit

P_J

Hi

I have recently bought a 1960s 2 bed apartment with an extensive condensation problem caused by poor ventilation. To solve the problem I have been told to dryline the interior walls. I also would like to completely refit the kitchen and bathroom (where the damp problem is the worst).

However, I am not sure where to start. Should I do the drylining first, before the other 2 jobs?

Also, if I want new light switches and sockets, would it be best to get them fitted before the drylining?

thanks in advance for any help,

Paul (DIY novice)

jpfahy

Don't miss the opportunity of getting all your wiring and maybe some plumbing in behind the drylining.
There are a number of ways of doing drylining, e.g.
1. Battens screwed to walls with insulation between with plasterboard over.
2. Foam backed plasterboard sheets stuck to the walls with adhesive

1 above gives a much better opportunity for hiding services in the walls and is a better job overall but will be more expensive as labour costs will be higher.
For a kitchen, method 1 above would also allow you to strategically place battens to hold wall presses, etc.

P_J

thanks for your help jp.

i will certainly take advantage and change the electrical fittings.

however, i am still not sure if i should do the drylining first, ie before refitting the bathroom and kitchen.

does anyone have any thoughts?
cheers
paul

newmillsgary

Hi Pj,

Your best bet is to dryline the walls but not to fix the battens directly to the old wall. The reason is that the damp from the old wall can eventually creep through the timber and on to the plasterboard.
Probably better to build a new wall as tight to the old wall as possible and brace back on to the old wall using metal brackets. You would lose perhaps 60-100mm at the very worst.
Gypsum have a metal bracket and metal batten system known as gyplining or close reach which can bring down the size of the new wall to about 40mm.
All services plus insulation can go in behind this relatively easy enough.

P_J

cheers gary. good recommendations.